What is Cord Blood?

Cord blood, which contains powerful stem cells, comes from a newborn’s umbilical cord and is collected immediately after birth. Once the umbilical cord has been clamped and cut, the remaining blood in the umbilical cord is drawn into a collection bag.

What makes cord blood cells different?

Cord blood stem cells are biologically younger and are more flexible compared to adult stem cells from other sources like bone marrow. When saved, they have unique qualities and advantages:

Less risk of complications when used in transplants39

Ability to use one’s own stem cells for conditions that currently lack medical treatment options, also known as “autologous transplantation”

Immediately available and can minimize disease progression in early treatment40

Preserving them "stops the clock" and protects the cells from aging and being exposed to environmental factors and common viruses that can decrease their function41

Comparison of Stem Cell Sources

Newborn

Adult

Embryonic

Ability to differentiate into various cell types

✓

✓

✓

High proliferation capacity

✓

✓

Low risk of tumor formation

✓

✓

Low risk of viral contamination

✓

✓

Capacity for autologous transplantation

✓

✓

Established/proven treatment in human patients

✓

✓

Stem cells can heal the body, promote recovery, and offer an enormous amount of therapeutic potential. Learn about families who have used their stem cells here.

About Cord Blood Registry

Cord Blood Registry® (CBR®) is the world’s largest newborn stem cell company. Founded in 1992, CBR is entrusted by parents with storing samples from more than 500,000 children. CBR is dedicated to advancing the clinical application of cord blood and cord tissue stem cells by partnering with institutions to establish FDA-regulated clinical trials for conditions that have no cure today.

Ultimate use of newborn stem cells will be determined by the treating physician who will consider if they are applicable for the condition and should come from the patient or a suitable donor (siblings of the same biological parents have a 25% chance of being a perfect match and a 50% chance of being a partial match; biological parents will always be a partial match). There is no guarantee that treatments being studied in the laboratory, clinical trials, or other experimental treatments (including regenerative medicine applications) will be available in the future.
For references, click here.